There are many customs and traditions connected to yearly celebrations which are part of Britain’s folklore (民俗). Lughnasadh is a celebration at the beginning of August. A custom connected with it is to make corn dolls with corn from the last of the harvest. The doll is saved until the following spring when it is put back into the earth with new seeds. People believe that the doll contains the spirit of the corn and will bring a good harvest. Christmas too is full of ancient customs. The traditions of lighting a fire and decorating the home with an evergreen have their roots in times long before Christianity. The fire is to keep away evil spirits and fill the home with light and the evergreen is valued because it is a sign that life continued during those cold, dark days.

Not all the origins of ancient traditions are remembered, however. The roots of Morris dancing, for example, are not known. This is a dance in which men (and sometimes women ) dressed in white dance together. Some people think the dance may be from pre-Christmas times, and others say it was introduced into Britain in the late 15^th century and that it comes from Moorish dancing. In any case, it is interesting to see that Morris dancing is not a dying tradition. There are Morris dancing groups in places as far away as New Zealand and San Francisco!

Although these customs have been passed down to us from forgotten generations, they themselves have not been forgotten and continue to play a part in our modern lives. Every week groups of individuals regularly meet to sing, play instruments or practice ancient dances and this month people all over Britain shall be preparing their homes for the ancient celebration we now call Christmas, lighting fires and putting up Christian trees, just as their great-great–grandfathers once did.

Why are corn dolls used to celebrate Lughnasadh? （no more than 14 words）

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How do people celebrate Christmas according to the passage?（no more than 10 words）

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What idea does the underlined sentence try to support ? （no more than 11words）

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What’s the main idea of the passage? ( no more than 9 words) 

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The other day I heard a few local musicians talking： “I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.” “I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”

But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”

 I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.

   Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative, they’re rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame others, and you play the role of victim, chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.

   This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard (标准) for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.

   Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A friend in need is a friend indeed      B. How to make friendship last for ever

C. You are who your friends are          D. Friends are the most important in one’s success

The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.

A. they’ll push you ahead               B. they’ll influence you

C. they’ll cover your shortcomings        D. they’ll help you achieve your goal

The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.

A. the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor

B. people have poor taste in music

C. people have different attitudes towards the same thing

D. young people have greater chances of doing things well

By taking the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.

A. improve a lot in making more friends          B. come to the right way of making friends

C. develop a better relationship with your friends   D. arrange the time with your friends properly

It’s hard for him playing against me.I’ve got nothing to play for,but for him,he needs to win so______.

A.     far  B.well  C.little  D.badly

A year ago I paid no attention to English idioms,   41  my teacher said again and again that it was important．

    One day, I happened to  42  an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to  43   ．As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner shook his head, saying, “You don’t say! You don’t say!”  I was  44  , I thought, perhaps this is not a  45  topic．Well, I’d  46  change the topic．So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall?  47  the way, have you ever 48 there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will  49  me if I leave China without seeing  50  ．It was great．” I said, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world． It is a place of   51  ．” Soon I was interrupted again by his words, “  52  !” I couldn’t  53  asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do  54  ”, he answered, gently surprised．

   I said, “Didn’t you say ‘You don’t say’?”

   Hearing this, the Englishman  55  to tears．He began to  56 ,“‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really?’．It is an   57  of surprise．Perhaps you don’t pay attention 58  English idioms. ”

   Then I knew I had made a fool of  59 ．Since then I have been more  60  with idioms．

A.though            B. when         C. if                  D. as

A.look           B. meet       C. pick up             D. find out

A.walk           B. talk        C. play              D. go

A.pleased        B. angry      C. afraid             D. surprised

A.proper             B. strange      C. safe              D. polite

A.to                  B. better       C. not                 D. like

A.On                B. In           C. All                 D. By

A.gone                B. visited      C. seen              D. been

A.look at         B. think of    C. send for          D. laugh at

A.it                B. hem         C. anything       D. something

A.fun            B. interest     C. business            D. mountain

A.Really        B. Good        C. You don’ t say  D. You are right.

A. be               B. help         C. think             D. do

A.this              B. so           C. anything         D. me a favor

A.laughed     B. cried      C. moved             D. came

A.explain         B. shout       C. prove              D. say

A.experience   B. expression  C. explanation       D. example

A.for           B. to           C. at                   D. in

A.me             B. myself      C. him                D. somebody

A.helpful         B. popular    C .careful            D. satisfied

--Shall Mary come and play computer games?

--No,__________ she has finished her homework.

A. when         B. if               C. unless    D. once